Once again Marc Frank Montoya has delivered us a pre/apres shred shoe from DVS! This time he uses the Paradox and gives it some technical features for your way to the hill, and those after-shred festivities. Introducing the DVS Paradox Snow by Marc Frank Montoya!

This shoe features a slimmed down technical silhouette with a combination upper consisting of leather, textile and synthetic materials as well as added tongue and collar. Durable welded TPR toe cap. Sidewall TPR inserts. Welded TPR badging. Weather protective tongue gussets. Moisture wicking lining. Sure-fit elastic support. Lightweight EVA midsole and a grippy rubber outsole.

Buy the Paradox Snow now and see all the styles DVS has to offer from the Zappos Rideshop!

While it is never in good taste to generalize about people there is one undeniable trend among those in the Skateboarding community. Not only do they generally love a good session of shredding and grinding at a local skate park but they often times turn to snowboarding during the winter months. Oh yes, and one more thing. They usually love Bob Marley. I mean, who doesn't love *Bob Marley*?

This is where the Matix Clothing Company's Asher Rasta Black Hoodie comes in. Warm enough for the coldest winter yet breathable enough to be worn in the fall or early spring, the Asher Black Hoodie really is a jacket for all seasons. Not only does this hoodie look cool and keep you warm but it also makes a statement for anyone out there who loves to skate, snowboard and rock out to Bob Marley's seminal album "Rebel Music."

The Matix Clothing Company Asher Rasta Black Hoodie has Kangaroo pouch pockets on either side and is fully lined with nylon to help keep you cool. For a textured look and feel the Asher Rasta Black Hoodie has banded cuffs and waist. Why is that important? So many hoodies are loose around the wrist and waist that they make people who may be physically fit look fat. Always remember that wearing loose clothing is not a cover up—it will just make you look overweight.

This hoodie is also 100% machine washable, available only in black with a small red, yellow and green rasta emblem, this hoodie is sure to sell out quickly. So, regardless of where you are or what you are doing, the Asher Rasta Black Hoodie will not only keep you warm it will also express your vast and varied interests.

The Japanese are known for adopting popular American culture. Think movies, TV shows and baseball. Snowboarding is another example, and the most popular site is Myoko, which features a main mountain elevated at 2,450 meters (about 7,400 feet) above sea level that annual draws about 14 meters (44 feet) of snow.

Myoko would be referenced as a ski destination, but the younger generation of Japan is really into snowboarding Japan has a number of modern snowboard and ski destinations, but Myoko is a small town with old-time Japanese culture, having served as a ski resort town since the 1930s, which makes Myoko one of the world's oldest established ski areas.

Myoko's snowboard and ski area is made up of 10 mountains. They are Myoko Akakura, Shin-Akakura, Ikenotaira Onsen, Myoko Suginohara, Seki Onsen, Kyukamura, Myoko Ski Park, Myoko Pine Valley, Madarao Kogen and Tangram Ski Circus. Each has its own distinctive features. You can get a combined lift ticket or "Myoko Big-4" season pass to the four largest resorts, which are Akakura Kanko Ski Resort, Akakura Onsen Ski Resort, Ikenotaira Ski Resort and Myoko Suginohara Ski Resort.

The Japanese enjoy evening activities, which means snowboarders will encounter numerous opportunities to try out flood-lit terrain parks in Myoko. While the Japanese are getting more and more into snowboarding, there still is a work ethic which frowns upon taking leisure time during weekdays. This means vacationers on weekdays find themselves with virtually no competition for fresh tracks.

Bars and restaurants are within walking distance of the Myoko village and feature both Japanese and Western food and drink. You can opt for sushi and sake or burgers and beer. If you wish to mix some big city life with the remote Myoko experience, well, Myoko is not so remote. Nagano is 40 minutes away on Japan's bullet train, and Tokyo is within two hours.

Sources:
http://www.myokokogen.net/index.html
http://www.myoko.tv/foreign/english/
http://www.snowseasonjapan.com/myoko/
http://www.myoko-nojiri.com/myoko.htm
http://www.snowjapanforums.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/298476/Re_Snowboarding_the_world_s_be.html

Snowboarder Fredrik "Shredrik" Austbo has a challenge that might surprise you. The 20-year-old boarder comes from Norway, but there's not as much snow as he would like. Not enough snow in Norway? Well, this is Stavanger in southwest Norway.

Fredrik Austbo says the season is short, and the nearest good mountain is more than two hours away. Therefore, he started out in soccer shoes, hockey skates and with a skateboard. He's also into gymnastics and surfing. So, when he first tried a snowboard at the age of 10, with all of his athletic ability, it felt perfectly natural. Therefore, Fredrik is reminiscent of American Shaun White, with the potential to combine the snowboard with the skateboard in a "free and happy" way. How's this for a good solid day: "I eat a good breakfast and then go up to the mountain and ride the whole day with my friends. Then afterwords, I go skateboarding."

As an adolescent, Fredrik "Shredrik" Austbo says he didn't think of turning pro or making money, even though he was winning loads of medals and trophies in Europe. Only during recent years did he turn truly serious about a pro career. His main influence is his coach and ThirtyTwo team manager, Jan Prokes.

Because of his wide ranging background, Fredrik Austbo is amused at a snowboard.com feature that invites viewers "to watch some footage of ThirtyTwo team rider Fredrik Austbo shredding up the concrete over at etnies. What? You didn't know he could skate? Hell, yeah! Turns out Fred's a full-on tranny dog who loves to grrr-ind coping for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Fredrik Austbo has broken out of the European confines to compete at destinations as distant as the United States and Canada.

Sources:
http://www.groms.tv/ath_f_austbo_skate.htm
http://www.snowboard-mag.com/node/14889

Skateboarder Omar Hassan, 35, is known as one of the best in the world and as one of the smoothest. You wouldn't think a skateboarder as smooth as Omar Hassan would take a bunch of spills, but as Omar describes some of his travails, you can't help but think of Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner.

So, read forward here only if you have a high threshold for pain.

Omar Hassan says, "One of my first injuries came when I was doing a front-side air. I fell in a straight Pete Rose slider position with the board still in hand. I broke my thumb and ripped off the nail, which is insanely painful in itself."

Ow-ooo-ch! (By the way, younger folks, Pete Rose is an old-school baseball player known for sliding head first.)

When Omar Hassan was 17, he says he dislocated his ankle. Not broke, but dislocated. An ankle? That doesn't sound good, Omar. He says he broke BOTH the tibia and fibula bones in his leg, and the medical fix-up included six screws that will remain for life.

Now, consider this one: "In Japan, I fell and slapped my hand so hard on the ground that it blew out my palm. My palm literally burst open. I had to get surgery to close up the pad of my hand."

Does Omar Hassan love skateboarding or what? Consider his handsome mug.

"I was doing a Rocket air off a jump ramp and held on too long," Omar says. "I broke two teeth, and the force of the fall shoved my braces through my lip ... I've busted my chin open about seven times. There are too many different stories that I don't care to elaborate on. Landing chin-first in pools, on ramps, in the street. All the same outcome: a busted chin and a lot of blood."

Omar Hassan even uses his injuries to make impromptu product endorsements: "While jumping off the back of a Dumpster into a bank, my board bounced up and hit me on the back of my head. Because Black Label wood is so strong, my board gashed open the back of my dome, and I had to get 14 stitches."

So, if you ever happen to bump into Omar Hassan, try not to REALLY bump into him!

Sources:
http://skateboardermag.com/skateboarder-news-features/magazine/Skateanatomy/omar-hassan-anatomy/
http://www.grindtv.com/athlete/omar_hassan/1068/bio/
http://expn.go.com/skt/s/010416_omarhassan.html

Ask the best snowboarders, or those most-traveled, to name a world-famous ski resort that has done the most to accommodate snowboarders. A frequent answer will be Tignes in eastern France.

Tignes, at its peak, is more than two miles above sea level. The lift is at 3,350 meters, which translates to about 11,000 feet. This has led Tignes patrons to describe "the closest slopes to the sun. At this height, combined with the effect of the Grande Motte Glacier, the climate remains so cold that there is deep light powder available for virtually the entire year. Another statement that snowboarders use to describe Tignes is as follows: "When it snows elsewhere in the Alps, it dumps on Tignes."

Many top resorts are known to accommodate only the highest caliber snowboarders and skiers. Tignes prides itself on providing vacation opportunities and fun for snowboarders of any level, down to beginners. Lessons for beginners are offered in English.

Still, for the snowboarding maven, Tignes is it. There are more than 180 miles of pistes available at Tignes, and so many off-piste places that Tignes annually hosts the Free Ride World Tour.

The Tignes area is so vast and high that freestyle snowboarders may take a lift and ride straight to a chalet, to the Tignes resort center or to one of 20 mountain restaurants. Runs are as long as 9 miles.

For snowboarders who wish to stay closer together, Tignes offers a pair of pipes and a vast terrain park.

In fact, expect some company regardless. Tignes possesses 47 lifts that are able to handle 75,000 boarders and skiers per hour. Just to make sure the slopes remain lightly powered, more than 200 snow cannons are at work at Tignes.

Tignes is so popular, in fact, that there are daily 85-mile bus runs from Geneva International Airport in Switzerland.

Sources:
http://www.j2ski.com/ski_resorts/France/Tignes.html
http://www.alpineelements.co.uk/snowboarding-holidays/resort/tignes.html
http://www.snowboardingholidays.net/location.php?LocationID=1266
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/snowandski/4030838/Snowboarding-the-worlds-best-resorts.html

You might be considering a snowboarding trip to Cypress Mountain in North Vancouver, British Columbia, before the winter breaks in March or April. After all, Cypress Mountain will host 2010 Olympic snowboarding events. The Olympic Alpine skiers, unlike the lowly snowboarders, get to head north to Whistler. Cypress Mountain is no Whistler, but still, it's a neat and high-class place.

Your question, in considering a 2009 snowboarding visit to Cypress Mountain, is double-edged.

The pro side: Cypress Mountain will be an exciting place to go in coming months, crackling with Olympic snowboarding preparations. Wouldn't it be great to have a chance to see what the world's best, the Olympians, will see in 2010?

The con side: Cypress Mountain will be all messed up because they are getting ready for the Olympics, carving up the grounds with bulldozers and making a cool vacation seem merely inconvenient instead.

The short answer seems to be, for snowboarders, that the "pro" side seems superior, and that you should consider a Cypress Mountain visit.

You would feel differently if you were a freestyle skier, because the Cypress Mountain freestyle venue is closed this winter, except for Feb. 9-10, when the Canada Post Freestyle Grand Prix will take place. This is a major World Cup event, and so the first half of February would not be a good time to schedule your snowboarding vacation.

However, Cypress Mountain snowboarding facilities are not closed in a similar fashion, except for April 2-6, when the Canadian Nationals Snowboard Championships are slated.

Leaders of Cypress Point had mixed thoughts early in the decade, when the chance to serve as an Olympics venue was offered. A $6 million grant from the International Olympic Committee helped answer that question, putting new lifts and tows in place. Meanwhile, Cypress Mountain has used its own money for a new 45,000-square-foot lodge.

Snowboarding at Cypress Mountain in 2009? Seems that it's worth a try, expecially if you wait until after mid-February.

As for attending those 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain, they're from Feb. 15-27. Events for both women and men are halfpipe, cross and parallel giant slalom.

Sources:
http://www.cypressmountain.com/dh.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22995132/
http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/v-printerfriendly/story/280156.html
http://nsbsg.com/weeklywindow/?cat=25

Ellery Hollingsworth of Connecticut is sort of quietly making her mark on the TTR (Ticket To Ride) World Snowboarding Tour. Consider this: Ellery Hollingsworth says one of her pro snowboarding role models is Aussie Torah Bright, the world champ three years ago. Ellery Hollingsworth ranks sixth this season; Torah Bright, 22 years old, ranks 30th as she focuses more on winter sportswear fashion design.

Despite being the brightest star among pre-high school grads in women's snowboarding and the increasing opportunities for female snowboarders to make some decent money, Ellery Hollingsworth isn't even sure she wants to continue her sports career for very long. She is thinking about a career as a doctor.

Ellery Hollingsworth started on the snowboard in first grade, but it wasn't her first sport. Being a born and bred New Englander, she played hockey but says she didn't like all the collisions. In other words, the half pipe and the slope (she does both) are comparatively safe? We guess so, if you're as good as Ellery Hollingsworth. She's also a skateboarder and learning to surf.

But Ellery Hollingsworth isn't one of those young snowboard/skateboard/surf brats. She still thanks her mother for providing resources so that she can compete in the Ticket To Ride World Snowboarding Tour, and she sums up her three lessons in life as, "1. Be polite. 2. Happy. 3. Everything happens for a reason."

This shouldn't be meant to paint a totally innocent picture. When Ellery Hollingsworth was 10, on a family vacation in California, she snuck into a closed skate park with older brothers Jeb and Kyle. The cops caught them: "It wasn't funny at the time, but now we laugh." She also says she wouldn't be a world-class pro skateboarder if not for the influence of Jeb and Kyle.

Ellery Hollingsworth says her favorite high school subject is math. Even without numbers, she seems to have added up a lot of things in her young life.

Sources:
http://www.grindtv.com/athlete/Ellery_Hollingsworth/bio/
http://oakley.com/sports/snowboard/athletes/231
http://snowboardermag.com/features/news/trick-tip-backflip-ellery-hollingsworth/
http://snowboardermag.com/features/news/ellery-hollingsworth-minor-threat/

Snowboarders have options, and one of the main ones is whether to go off the main trails, or off-piste.

British snowboarder and freelance writer Daniel Elkan explains on timesonline.co.uk: "There's a common misconception - held by skiers, mostly - that snowboarders are happiest when larking about in the terrain park, launching themselves off huge snow ramps and skidding along hard-edged metal railings. Well, that may be true of snowboarders under the age of 20, but it certainly isn't true of me, and of many like me." Elkan goes on to explain how he can do without the deep bruises and broken bones.

If it sounds like Daniel Elkan isn't too hot in the half pipe, draw your own conclusions. Still, many other snowboarders are following his path toward getting away from the beaten path. This is enough of a phenomenon that the folks at the legendary Chamonix resort in eastern France have felt compelled to issue due warnings.

The most importance sentence from Chamonix is: "There is an extremely high number of deaths in Chamonix each year, don't ski stupidly, your life depends on it."

Equally ominous is the urging at Chamonix to hire a guide if you desire to go off-piste: "If you think the price is a bit steep, just consider the price of a rescue and/or a coffin, and the decision will be obvious."

Ho-key, doe-key, we get the point!

Our advisers at Chamonix further tell us that off-piste snowboarding should not mean that you duck under the ropes and go outside of the resort's official area. Instead, off-piste means that you go off of the regular trails within the bounds of those ropes. At any major resort, there are plenty of places with this so-called virgin snow, and the resort's ski patrol will be looking out. In fact, you should tell the ski patrol what you're doing ahead of time.

Daniel Elkan wrote about his off-piste experience at Ischgl, in Austria, with one of his buddies. Chamonix says you should have at least two pals with you. Each should have a transceiver, which helps people find you if you are buried in an avalanche. The group should also bring shovels.

You also should check regularly on snow conditions, not just in the morning, because they can change by the hour.

Don't follow somebody else to a location just because you think they know what they're doing.

Our Chamonix author concludes with a somewhat political flourish: "Remember that skiing on- and off-piste in Europe is at your own risk. You will not be able to sue anybody for anything; this is Europe, judges have brains. You will be charged a hefty fee for any type of rescue, so ski safely."

Sources:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/specials/ski0809/article4744804.ece
http://www.absolutemotions.com/Newsletter/Cham/off_piste.htm

Professional snowboarder Antti Autti is only 23, but it's been more than three years since his stunning gold medal victory in the super pipe at the 2005 Winter X Games. He skyrocketed to victory with back-to-back 1080s, which of course is a 360 multiplied by three. This is a trick that the other professional snowboarders, from Shaun White on down, were forced to learn in order to remain competitive.

One would think that to succeed at such a young age, Antti Autti is super-competitive. Indeed, he works hard and puts in his practice, but he looks for more than gold medals when he's on tour.

"It would be best if people who throw themselves into snowboarding understood what this sport is about," Autti says. "The competitions alone don't mean everything. There'll always be more of them. In my opinion, the fun going-ons and the smile on your face are a lot more important. Doing well's nice, no doubt about it, but it's important that you don't lose the pleasure of the riding itself in the competing."

Antti Autti was born in Rovamiemi, Finland, which is a city of 55,000 and sits on the Arctic Circle. Needless to say, Autti never was lacking for snow as a child.

Autti was taught first how to ski by his father, Yrjo Autti, a football (soccer) star on the Finnish National Team. He was 10 years old, on a family ski vacation, when he saw somebody snowboarding. He decided he wanted to try snowboarding, and his father and mother (Katariina) were open minded enough to allow him to break tradition. In contrast, his younger brother Tuomas is focused on freestyle skiing.

Antti Autti's first competitions were in 2001, after he turned 16. Despite his flashy 1080s, he is known for technical skills and a smooth style. He has excelled on the half pipe as well as the super pipe, and his favorite trick isn't the 1080, but a switch-backside 540.

Autti looks forward to the 2010 Winter Olympics. In 2006 at Turin, he placed fifth with a controversial, low score that caused booing from the Italian fans. His countryman and teammate who won the third-place bronze, Markku Koski, told reporters that it should have been Autti with the prestigious medal.

Autti also enjoys skateboarding, photography, music and Johnny Depp movies. But despite doing 1080s, he doesn't like airplanes. With his snowboard, says Antti Autti, he's in control.

Sources:
http://www.airbornmag.com/article_details.asp?ID=42
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antti_Autti
http://snowboardermag.com/features/fresh-and-tracked-with-antti-autti/

In Ireland, there are plenty of people who are really into snowboarding, especially college students attending DCU (Dublin City University). After all, it's not like these Irish sports enthusiasts can exactly hang out at the beach during the summer. The summer's average daily high temperature is about 60 degrees.

With summers that are so chilly, you might think Ireland would get cold enough during winter that the surfaces for snowboarders would be piled high with fine powder. Well, not quite. The average daily winter temps in Ireland remain up there in the low 40s.

It's like having six months of early spring and six months of late fall. What's going on here? Dublin is just as far north as Moscow. But maybe you remember from school: The Gulf Stream. The North Atlantic Current.

Sometimes it snows in the mountains of Ireland up to 30 times per year. But the snow usually doesn't stay long, and there have been years where it doesn't snow at all. So what's a snowboarder to do?

Aidan Coughlan was determined to do something. He returned from his first snowboarding experience in Europe eight years ago, and he was enraptured. So Aidan created a web site, irishsnowboarder.com, which attracted nearly 900 members. He organized ways to get snow made as often as possible at a mountain in Kilternan, both for slopes and half pipes. He started an online equipment store. The DCU snowboarders joined in. Aidan Coughlin is now seeking help to maintain the web site.

Still, sometimes they have to use fake snow, and sometimes it sounds sad. One forum poster wrote of the fake snow: "Ouch. Just back from freestyle Sunday in Kilternan, and I'm proof that what you can do on snow just does not happen on the dendex (i.e. fake snow)... I just took spill after spill after spill. Believe me, if you are going up there after time on the snow give yourself at least 5-10 runs to readjust, ('cause) I didn't and I paid the price. Bad fall on my shoulder, hand, etc. Still though, I'll be back there next Sunday!"

So, Ireland doesn't have the greatest snowboarding on the planet - just some of the most loyal and dedicated snowboarders.

Sources:
www.irishsnowboarder.com
www.dcusnowboarding.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Ireland

Gretchen Bleiler, a pioneer in women's pro snowboarding, explains why she aims to combat global warning by building awareness.

"I mean, if we don't have snow in the next years, I'm going to be out of a job," says Bleiler, 27, born in Toledo and one of the first women to make her mark in pro snowboarding. She now lives in Aspen, where she was won three X-Games championships in the half-pipe. This makes Gretchen Bleiler well-known among the snowboarding set, but she gained larger fame with her silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

"The X Games are sort of becoming the modern day Olympics, because I think younger kids are growing up watching the X Games now, but the Olympics are the biggest event in all sports," Bleiler explains, before drawing a logical conclusion: "The X Games are the bigger competition for snowboarding, but the Olympics are the biggest competition for everybody worldwide."

Gretchen Bleiler started snowboarding at the age of 11. This was during the early 1990s, so she was aware of no female snowboarders as role models. Instead, she took inspiration from her three snowboarding brothers. But now that Gretchen is so well-established, today's girls have someone they can admire. Gretchen Bleiler fits the bill by visiting schools, and she even was interviewed by Scholastic Magazine. She's involved with the Women's Sports Foundation. To promote women in snowboarding, she has organized the season-closing Snow Angels Invitational at Aspen.

Ms. Bleiler also is a magnet for the media with her natural and sunny good looks, but sorry fellas, she's engaged to snowboarder Christopher Hotell.

Gretchen Bleiler has capitalized on her success to establishing a signature sports clothing line with Oakley, which includes everything from the snowboarding suits to the gloves. She does far more than simply endorse, initiating the design from start to finish.

Her increasing public profile also allows Gretchen Bleiler to push hard in the fight against global warming.

"I've been very athletic my entire life and have always enjoyed being outdoors, so the environment has always been very important to me," Gretchen Bleiler says. "After the Olympics, I realized I had a platform to talk about the causes I believed in, and the environment and climate change are definitely at the top of the list."

She urges her fans to visit the web site stopglobalwarming.org.

Sources:
http://www.shredbetties.com/riders/story/gretchen_bleiler/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretchen_Bleiler
http://gretchenbleiler.com/index.php/bio
http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/winterolympics/sports/index.asp?article-gbleiler

For snowboarders, the State of Maine isn't along any sort of main route. There sits Maine, way, way up in the obscure, right-hand corner of the map of the United States. But can't you tell, just by looking, that a state with Maine's location is just bound to have some great slopes, terrain parks and half pipes?

Maine also is a very family-friendly state, so your rates and fees will be affordable.

Readers of Snowboarder Magazine voted Shawnee Peak, in Bridgton, as one of North America's 10 favorite mountains for nighttime snowboarding. The half pipe is a full 400 feet and not

two terrain parks are constantly open. Shawnee Peak is known for its weekly competitions and prizes.

Sugarloaf in Maine's Carrabassett Valley offers that state's steepest vertical drop, 2,820 feet, with an impressive 131 trails. Sunday River, in Beth, has a drop of 2,340 feet and 128 trails. The drop at Saddleback, in Rangeley, also exceeds 2,000 feet.

Have you ever heard of the Ragged Mountains? Well, yes, the Ragged Mountains are in Maine along the mid-coast shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean. The Camden Snow Bowl is run by the town's Parks & Recreation Commission, which will bring you some of the neatest snowboarding value prices that you ever will encounter. This is "where the mountains meet the sea."

Try Big Rock in Mars Hill. No, being in Mars Hill doesn't put you into outer space. You can find virtually everything you want for a top-notch, Maine snowboarding experience.

Need some snowboarding or ski lessons? Lost Valley Ski Area near Perkins Ridge employs nearly 100 instructors, some who teach year-round.

You gotta love a place called Katahdin Moosehead on Big Squaw Mountain. It's in Greenville, but the view is mostly white during the winter. Same goes for Black Mountain in Rumford.

How about Quoggy Jo on Presque Isle. The drop is a meager 215 feet, but with a name like Quoggy Jo, it demands some respect!

Sources:
http://www.visit-maine.com/current_category.2325/companies_list.html
http://www.mainesnowboarding.com/
http://www.mainetodo.com/article523.html

Eddie Wall is one of the hardest-practicing technical experts in professional snowboarding and one of the most fun-loving free spirits. His background demonstrates why these seemingly opposite traits go together.

Born in Pennsylvania, Eddie Wall managed to land in the state's definitely non-Allegheny flat portion. He grew up in the small town of Rome, which he describes as two hours from "the smallest hill imaginable."

Still, he found his way to enough places to gain some skills. His main accomplice and friend was his father, Eddie Wall Sr., who was also into boarding as one of the sport's elder statesmen. Eddie Wall Jr. worked construction with his father from the time he was 13-years-old.

"My dad and I started snowboarding together, which is really cool," says the younger Eddie. "We always used to go up and poach pipes, just hike up the mountain and ride the pipe." On one occasion, at Camelback in the Pocono Mountains, they got busted by ski patrol officers.

Eddie knew what he wanted. Upon graduation, he headed for California and Mt. Nebo, where he supported himself for two years as a dishwasher and night janitor. With gradual practice, he became one of the world's best and best-known snowboarders.

This experience sort of makes Eddie Wall an older scolder, as he observes younger snowboarders who follow an easier path.

"The money and fame that these kids are chasing is taking a lot of the purity out of the sport," he laments. "In a few years, it may be similar to baseball and football, soccer moms yelling at their kids for not landing a 1080 ... Snowboarding was never supposed to be like that."

Eddie Wall says his crib in San Clemente is filled with so many loose surfboards and skateboards that "it's such a ghetto." He lists his favorite places to party as "Europe, L.A., premier tours, Whistler, Quebec, my house, pretty much anywhere."

That covers a lot of ground, but if anyone has earned it, it's Eddie Wall.

Sources:
http://snowboardermag.com/features/snowboarder-vital-20-eddie-wall/
http://fueltv.fuel.tv/FUELTVED/blogs/view/3446?item=25774&type=Blog
http://snowboardermag.com/features/online-exclusives/eddie-wall-interview/
http://www.grindtv.com/athlete/eddie_wall/bio/

By legend, seeds were planted more than a century ago for snowboarders and skiers to head for the Banff/Lake Louise destination.

Construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1883 had reached the western edge of the Alberta province. Railroad President William Cornelius Van Horne had seen plenty of natural beauty along the route, but he still was flabbergasted to discover the stunning Lake Louise and the now-famous Cave and Basin Hot Springs nestled among mountains with 10,000-foot peaks. He declared, "Since I can't export the scenery, I'll import the tourists." Thus he built the landmark Banff Springs Hotel.

Snowboarders should take special delight. Banff/Lake Louise draws only about 30 feet of annual snow, compared to 100 or more at other locales. Still, 30 feet is plenty because the white stuff barely melts in the high and dry Rocky Mountain air. For snowboard and ski enthusiasts around the world, this is known as "Champagne Powder."

The best-known destination at Banff/Lake Louise is the Sunshine Village Ski & Snowboard Resort, and here the legend continues with roots in the year 1929. A pair of extreme sports enthusiasts, Cliff White and Cyril Paris, had trouble finding a Canadian Pacific Railway cabin. This caused them to ski all over the territory before they discovered the shelter. By then, they were so impressed that they shared information to all of their ski buddies. Sunshine Village was born, with a peak elevation of 9,000 feet and an impressive vertical drop of 3,500 feet. The longest run is 8 kilometers, which translate into 5 miles. More than 100 trails are available.

Lake Louise Mountain Resort lacks the history and tradition of Sunshine Village, but it's a tad bit bigger in scale. The third cog in the Banff/Lake Louise trio is the more modest Mount Norquay Ski Resort, with a vertical of only about 600 feet, but still challenging

All of this splendor is available within less than a two-hour drive from Calgary, Alberta, but Banff/Lake Louise is so close to the border that some trails cross into British Columbia. Talk about a snowboarder's dream: A trail so long that it spans two provinces!

The resorts' web sites, by and large, do not match the quality of the winter sport environment. However, readers may find better info by reviewing Wikipedia summaries.

Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_Village
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Louise_Mountain _Resort
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Norquay_ski_resort